I’ll be in Milwaukee during the last week of June - that’s next
week! Does anyone have suggestions for galleries, museums, etc. that
should not be missed? I’m not sure how much time I’ll have for
myself, but it would be nice to have a list composed by locals. I’d
do the same for anyone coming to my home town… not that many
deliberately come to the middle of nowhere

Judy. While in Milwaukee, don’t miss the Milwaukee Art Museum! It has
an addition designed by Calatrava, that sits on Lake Michigan with
’wings’ that open and close. It is absolutely one of the most
beautiful buildings anywhere. The collection of art is very
respectable too! Also go down to Brady St., where the shops are fun
and the food is great. Might also try a beer at the many micros in
town. But if you are going at the end of June, the best outdoor
music/entertainment festival in the midwest is in full swing.
Summerfest is lots of fun for everyone and you can get one of those
beers I was talking about ;>} Someone else may have more information
on jewelry ‘attractions’, but Harley-Davidson also has its home
there too, so if you like mechanical toys and tours of factories…
but most of all, have fun… Eileen (former Milwaukee resident)

Third Ward Jewelry in the historic Third Ward district of Milwaukee
represents some great art jewelers.

There is the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in Milwaukee. The
new Milwaukee Art Museum is a beautiful building and is showing an
exhibit of comic book art that is very fun. There is the Racine Art
Museum which is a museum dedicated to craft. Racine is a town about a
half hour drive south of Milwaukee, and the museum is worth the trip.
In Madison, about an hours drive west, The Chazen Museum of Art on
the University of Wisconsin’s campus will be showing the retrospective
of Fred Fenster’s and Eleanor Moty’s work until the 23rd of July. I
highly recommend this exhibit and the accompanying catalogue.

I will be in Milwaukee for a day job related conference on
Saturday and have Sunday free. Any place I should visit regarding
metals, jewelry, design, just cool stuff?

The Milwaukee Art Museum…but that might be a long stop… If they
unfurl the Calatrava building wings (Burke Brise Soleil) it’s a sight
to behold…but I’m not sure how well it fairs this time of year…

Can’t give you any leads for metals, jewlery and design…

But…

Best sophisticated pizza place on the East Side is Pizza
Man…counterculture roots back to the 70’s, now higher class (the
old wheel of retail)…North and Oakland…

Or Lisa’s, further north on Oakland…my favorite, actually…more
laid back… And they’ve been the same as long as I can remember…

If you’re on the West side…Mama’s at 76th and Burleigh…not as
asthetic, but fine thin crust pizza… They’ve been around since my
High School days, too…

If you’re into sub sandwiches, there’s Cousin’s, another home grown
outfit… Have friends who live on the East and West Coasts now, and
whenever they visit, inevitably get dragged out to a Cousins…

There’s too much fine dining (my taste is kind of plebian) to
mention… That’s something this city is good at…

Example…Abu’s Jeruselem of the Gold…Farwell and Irving…the
best falafel in the City if you’re into Middle eastern food…(and
it is the best)… It seats 22…

Butch’s for steak…

I’ll be honest…this is a tough time of year to visit
Milwaukee… It’s (expletive deleted) cold here…and when yer
near the Lake…the wind cuts into you… We’re getting a bit
more
snow on Thursday…highs are projected to be in the high 20’s maybe
30, for the balance of the week…

The Mitchell Park Domes…huge geodesic structures that house
different plant life and controlled environments inside…

The Public Museum…again…it’s a long stop…they also have an
IMAX theater hooked up to them…

Welcome to Milwaukee…

Gary W. Bourbonais
A.J.P. (GIA)

P.S. The other thing to do is bounce a question or two off the hotel
bartender… They can usually provide fine advice…

Too bad you’re not going to be here on a weekday - you could have a
tour of the Art Jewelry offices!

There are a couple of good design-based museums I’d recommend. Both
are on the East Side of Milwaukee, and both are housed in what used
to be private residences. The Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
(on Terrace Avenue) features some great iron work and changing
exhibits in an Italianate Estate overlooking Lake Michigan. Its
sister museum, The Charles Allis museum (on Prospect), is also on the
East Side, and has some lovely carved jade pieces and changing
exhibits. You can find about both athttp://www.cavtmuseums.org/.

Also on the East Side, there’s our local coffee shop, Alterra -
great coffee in a wonderful setting, in a historic pumping station.
It makes a good alternative to the chain coffee places.

If you like movies, you could check out the Oriental Theatre, which
is on Farwell - it’s one of the last remaining Landmark Theatres, and
its interior is quite striking.

If you have time, you can also head down to the Third Ward (also
known as “The Historic Third Ward”). It’s a section of town that’s
paid attention to preserving old architecture; there are lots of
great shops and galleries and restaurants, as well as the Milwaukee
Public Market, which is sort of an indoor farmer’s market, where you
can buy local specialties.

Thank you all for the ideas. I will keep them for my next trip.
Unfortunately, a bit of snow hit on Sunday and I decided to head for
home. Next time, though, I’d love to visit at the magazine and the
art museum.